NHER 11047 (Monument record) - Castle Hill and Hangman's Hill, Denton

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Summary

This is a small medieval motte and bailey castle. The earthworks would have been completed with a timber defended structure. The earthworks of the motte and the small horseshoe bailey and ditch can still be seen. To the east is Hangman's Hill, a small mound and a rectangular enclosure cropmark that can be seen from aerial photographs. This may be spoil from the digging of an adjacent pond. A second trapezoidal enclosure was surveyed in 1884, but it has since been levelled. This may have been a deer enclosure. Additional survey in 1999 further elucidated the remains. Fragments of Roman and medieval pottery have been found here. Interpretations suggest that the castle was either built by or destroyed by the d'Albinis between 1088 and 1254.

Protected Status/Designation

Scheduled Monument 1003994: Castle Hill, Hangman's Hill and adjoining earthworks, Darrow Green

Location

Map sheet	TM28NE
Civil Parish	DENTON, SOUTH NORFOLK, NORFOLK

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Full Description

Motte and bailey and enclosure c150 feet diameter surrounded by ditch with horseshoe-shaped earthwork. 100 yards from it to north-east a rectangular enclosure surrounded by a low bank 260 feet by 13 feet - beside this a knoll known as Hangman's Hill.
R. R. Clarke

1850.
Earthworks discovered while felling a wood. A piece of oak, possibly from a bridge support, was found.
The castle may have been destroyed by D'Albini in favour of Old Buckenham.
Information from Bryant.
Reported to the Norfolk and Norwich Archaeological Society by Mr. S. W. Rix on 2 May 1850 (S1).
See also (S2) and (S3).

1948. Casual Find
Fragment of flattish upper stone of conglomerate rotary quern - East Anglian Type.
Information from

1949.
Medieval sherds found.

1951.
Cropmarks noted.

1971.
Roman sherds found.

1984.
Medieval sherds found.

Schedule, correspondence, location map, press cutting in file, large hanging plan.

February 1993. Earthwork Survey.
Full survey at 1:200 carried out for National Trust.
This work is noted in (S6) and (S7).
An archive associated with this work has been deposited with Norwich Castle Museum (NWHCM : 2022.257).
D. Gurney (NLA), 12 December 1997. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 24 January 2017 and 5 December 2022.

1999. Earthwork Survey.
Survey at 1:1000, incorporating additional information onto a reduced copy of the NAU survey of 1993.
See report (S8) for plan and further details. This site was included in (S9) and the survey is also noted in (S10).
B. Cushion (NLA), November 1999. Amended by P. Watkins (HES), 1 April 2015.

(S11) suggests that this was built by the D'Albinis between 1088 and 1254.
D. Gurney (NLA), 14 May 2003.

2005. Found in bare soil on motte.
Fifteen late 11th to 12th century pot sherds.
See list in file.
A. Rogerson (NLA), 16 January 2006.

January 2005. Metal-detecting. [1].
Roman rotary quern fragment.
3 medieval pottery sherds.
1 medieval/post-medieval pottery sherd.
Information from PAS import.
A. Beckham (HES), 3 July 2015.

2018. Stray Find. [2].
5 medieval pottery sherds.
Information from PAS import.
P. Watkins (HES), 29 July 2025.

Associated Sources (21)

--- SNF97838 Collection: Norfolk Historic Environment Record Staff. 1975-[2000]. HER Record Notes. Norfolk Historic Environment Service.
--- SNF43 Designation: [unknown]. Ancient Monuments Form. SAM Record. DNF32.
--- SNF8808 Fiche: Exists.
--- SNF87036 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1996. Volunteer help for access to castle. 27 December.
--- SNF87263 Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Medieval. Denton [2].
--- SNF99172 Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Miscellaneous. Denton.
--- SNF87260 Record Card: Clarke, R. R. and NCM Staff. 1933-1973. Norwich Castle Museum Record Card - Roman. Denton [2].
--- SNF57722 Record Card: NAU Staff. 1974-1988. Norfolk Archaeological Index Primary Record Card.
--- SNF57204 Record Card: Ordnance Survey Staff. 1933-1979?. Ordnance Survey Record Cards. TM 28 NE 2 [2]; TM 28 NE 12.
--- SNF8804 Secondary File: Secondary File.
<S1> SNF6 Article in Serial: 1855. Appendix. Extracts from the Proceedings of the Committee. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol VI pp 341-366. p 346.
<S10> SNF82377 Article in Serial: Gurney, D. and Penn, K. (eds). 2000. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1999. Norfolk Archaeology. XLIII Pt III pp 521-543. p 525.
<S11> SNF52405 Monograph: Liddiard, R.. 2000. Landscapes of Lordship: Norman castles and the countryside in medieval Norfolk, 1066-1200.. British Archaeological Reports British Series. 309. pp 98-101.
<S2> SNF101289 Article in Serial: Hempnall, R. 1860. Norfolk Antiquities. The East Anglian or Notes and queries on subjects connected with the counties of Suffolk, Cambridge, Essex and Norfolk. Vol I No 7 p 89.
<S3> SNF1017 Article in Serial: Manning, C. R.. 1884. Earthworks at the 'Castle Hill', Darrow Wood, Denton, Norfolk. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol IX pp 335-342. pp 335-336.
<S4> SNF2190 Article in Serial: Kenyon, K.. 1950. Excavations at Breedon on the Hill, 1946. Transactions of the Leicestershire Archaeological and Historical Society. Vol XXVI.
<S5> SNF3668 Newspaper Article: Eastern Daily Press. 1990. Eastern Daily Press. 28 March.
<S6> SNF6263 Article in Serial: Gurney, D. (ed.). 1994. Excavations and Surveys in Norfolk 1993. Norfolk Archaeology. Vol XLII Pt I pp 115-123. p 117.
<S7> SNF87310 Article in Serial: Nenk, B. S., Margeson, S. and Hurley, M. 1994. Medieval Britain and Ireland in 1993. Medieval Archaeology. Vol XXXVIII pp 184-293. p 234.
<S8> SNF92862 Unpublished Report: Cushion, B. 1999. Denton Castle SMR 11047. Earthwork Survey Report.
<S9> SNF53911 Monograph: Cushion, B. and Davison, A. 2003. Earthworks of Norfolk. East Anglian Archaeology. No 104. p 168.

Site and Feature Types and Periods (15)

Object Types (7)

POT (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
QUERN (Roman - 43 AD to 409 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1200 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1066 AD to 1539 AD)
POT (Medieval - 1100 AD to 1200 AD)
POT (Medieval to 16th Century - 1450 AD to 1600 AD)

Related NHER Records (0)

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Record last edited

Aug 13 2025 12:26AM